System and method for providing content associated with a television broadcast

A broadcasting apparatus for providing information associated with a video broadcast, the apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving, from a terminal device associated with an audience member viewing the video broadcast, a user identifier identifying the audience member and a time identifier indicating a time at which the audience member performs a selection operation during the video broadcast;
• means for retrieving, by looking up the user identifier in an audience database, an electronic mail address associated with the audience member;
• means for identifying, by looking up the time identifier in a program database, an identifier of content associated with the video broadcast at the time the selection operation was performed;
• means for retrieving, by looking up the identified content identifier in a content database, a storage location on a network of the content associated with the video broadcast at the time the selection operation was performed;
• means for generating an electronic mail message containing:
• an indication of the time at which the selection operation was performed;
• a name of a program presented in the video broadcast at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the storage location of the content associated with the video broadcast at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• means for transmitting the electronic mail message to the address associated with the audience member.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor associated with a broadcasting apparatus, perform a method for providing information associated with a video broadcast, the method comprising:

• receiving, from a terminal device associated with an audience member viewing the video broadcast, a time identifier identifying a time at which the audience member performs a selection operation during the video broadcast, and a user identifier identifying the audience member;
• identifying, by looking up the time identifier in a program database, an identifier of content associated with the video broadcast at the time the operation was performed;
• identifying, by looking up the identified content identifier in a content database, a storage location on a network of the content associated with the video broadcast at the time the selection operation was performed;
• determining, by looking up the user identifier in an audience database, an electronic mail address associated with the audience member;
• generating an electronic mail message containing:
• an indication of the time at which the selection operation was performed;
• a name of a program presented in the video broadcast at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the storage location of the content associated with the video broadcast at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• transmitting the electronic mail message to the address associated with the audience member.

A broadcast system for providing information associated with a broadcast program, the system comprising:

• select information receiving means for receiving, from a terminal device associated with an audience member viewing the broadcast program, a user identifier identifying the audience member, and a time identifier indicating a time at which the user performs a selection operation during the broadcast program;
• a program storage database storing a plurality of content identifiers identifying content associated with different times during the broadcast program, and storing a plurality of respective time identifiers corresponding to the content identifiers;
• a content database storing the content identifiers and respective storage locations of the content corresponding to the content identifiers;
• an audience database storing relationships between user identifiers and an electronic mail addresses associated with audience members;
• information searching means for:
• searching the program storage database using the time identifier for a corresponding content identifier;
• searching the content database using the corresponding content identifier for a corresponding storage location of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• retrieving, from the audience database, an electronic mail address of the audience member based on the user identifier;
• means for generating an electronic mail message containing:
• an indication of the time at which the selection operation was performed;
• a name of a program presented during the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the storage location of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• means for transmitting the electronic mail message to the address of the audience member.

An apparatus for providing information associated with a broadcast program, comprising:

• a content database storing storage locations on a network of content associated with the broadcast program, and storing respective content identifiers corresponding to the storage locations;
• a program database storing relationships between the content identifiers and respective time identifiers corresponding to different times during the broadcast program;
• an audience database storing relationships between user identifiers and electronic mail addresses of audience members of the broadcast program;
• receiving means for receiving, from a terminal device associated with an audience member, a user identifier identifying the audience member and a time identifier identifying a time at which the audience member performs a selection operation during the broadcast program;
• transmitting means for:
• searching the program database based on the time identifier to identify a corresponding content identifier identifying content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• searching the content database based on the corresponding content identifier to identify a respective storage location on the network of the content associated the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and retrieving, from the audience database, an electronic mail address of the audience member with the user identifier;
• generating an electronic mail message containing:
• an indication of a time at which the selection operation was performed;
• a name associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the storage location of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• transmitting the electronic mail message to the address of the audience member.

A broadcast system for providing content associated with a broadcast program, comprising:

• content providing means for providing the broadcast program to a terminal device associated with an audience member through a broadcasting network;
• information requesting means for requesting, from the terminal device, a time identifier identifying a time of a selection operation performed by the audience member during the broadcast program;
• means for identifying, by looking up the time identifier in a program database, an identifier of content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• means for identifying, by looking up the identified content identifier in a content database, a storage location on a network of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• means for determining, by looking up a user identifier associated with the audience member in an audience database, an electronic mail address associated with the audience member;
• means for generating an electronic mail message containing:
• an indication of the time at which the selection operation was performed;
• a name of a program segment of the broadcast program presented at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the storage location of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• means for sending the electronic mail message to the address associated with the audience member.

A method performed by a broadcasting system for providing content associated with a broadcast program, the method comprising:

• providing the broadcast program to a terminal device associated with an audience member through a broadcasting network;
• requesting, from the terminal device, a time identifier identifying a time of a selection operation performed by the audience member during the broadcast program;
• identifying, by looking up the time identifier in a program database, an identifier of content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• identifying, by looking up the identified content identifier in a content database, a storage location on a network of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection was performed;
• determining, by looking up a user identifier associated with the audience member in an audience database, an electronic mail address associated with the audience member;
• generating an electronic mail message containing:
• an indication of the time at which the selection operation was performed;
• a name of a program segment of the broadcast program presented at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the storage location of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• sending the electronic mail message to the address associated with the audience member.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor associated with a broadcast system, perform a method for providing content associated with a broadcast program, the method comprising:

• providing the broadcast program to a terminal device associated with an audience member through a broadcasting network;
• requesting, from the terminal device, a time identifier identifying a time of a selection operation performed by the audience member during the broadcast program;
• identifying, by looking up the time identifier in a program database, an identifier of content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• identifying, by looking up the identified content identifier in a content database, a storage location on a network of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection was performed;
• determining, by looking up a user identifier associated with the audience member in an audience database, an electronic mail address associated with the audience member;
• generating an electronic mail message containing:
• an indication of a time at which the selection operation was performed;
• a name of a program segment of the broadcast program presented at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the storage location of the content associated with the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• sending the electronic mail message to the address associated with the audience member.

An apparatus for accumulating content for use in a broadcast program, the apparatus comprising:

• a program database storing content identification information, the content identification information identifying content associated with respective program segments of the broadcast program, the program segments obtained by dividing a duration of the broadcast program, and storing corresponding time information for the program segments;
• a content database storing storage locations on a network of the content associated with the respective program segments of the broadcast program;
• an audience database storing user identification information and electronic mail addresses of audience members of the broadcast program corresponding to the user identification information;
• and
• means for, upon notification of a time of a selection operation performed by an audience member during the broadcast program:
• searching the program database, based on the time the selection operation was performed, to identify content identification information associated with a program segment presented in the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• searching the content database, based on the identified content identification information, to retrieve a storage location of content associated with the program segment presented in the broadcast program at the time the selection operation was performed;
• and
• searching the audience database, based on the user identification information, to identify an electronic mail address of the audience member of the;
• generating an electronic mail message containing:
• an indication of the time the selection operation was performed;
• a name of the program segment presented at the time of selection operation was performed;
• and
• a uniform resource identifier (URI) for the storage location of the content associated with the program segment presented at the time of the selection;
• and
• sending the electronic mail message to the address associated with the audience member.